Celine POVThe room was thick with tension, the air heavy with the unspoken fears of everyone present. Queen Nymia’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before she leaned back in her chair, her expression contemplative. King Thorne, too, seemed lost in thought, his eyes narrowing as he considered the implications of our request.“There is no doubt that the situation is dire,” Queen Nymia began, her voice measured. “But we cannot ignore the potential consequences of granting you the flower. The curse that plagues the family of this werewolf princess is one that carries the seeds of madness. Should you cure her and allow the bloodline to continue, what assurance do we have that this madness will not spread? What if the wolves, in their madness, turn on the innocent and slaughter them?”Her words hung in the air like a dark cloud, and a murmur of agreement rippled through the council. The fae were cautious by nature, their long lives making them wary of any action that could upset th
Sebastian’s POVThere’s been a shift, and it worries me that Celine is drifting further from me and closer to Dolton. It feels like there shouldn’t be a reason for it, but deep down, I know there is.Lately, I’ve been completely consumed by the evidence we’ve gathered on the werewolf king, leaving Celine and Dolton to spend time together. Part of me knew she missed him—she’d spoken about him often before he arrived, and I could sense that longing in her. So, I stepped back, giving them space to reconnect. But now, I fear I’ve made myself an outsider. Sure, we’re together at night, but it’s not the same.We need to find the right balance, and right now, there isn’t any. Dolton is with her full-time, while I only get to be with her at night—when he’s there too. I wonder if the age difference is part of the problem. When she’s with Dolton, they laugh and enjoy themselves, but with me, everything feels so serious.I need to figure out how to step out of 'King mode.' I make everything so i
Sebastian's POVWe arrive back at the hotel, and I immediately notice that Dolton isn’t here. The guards at the door mentioned he went out for a walk, giving us some time alone. My eyes drift towards the stack of files on the desk, and the King in me feels the urge to dive back into work. But I resist. Not today, and not so soon. Today and tonight, I need to focus on something more important than the werewolf issue—I need to focus on Celine.I walk into the living area, where Celine is already curled up on the sofa, picking out a movie to watch. As I sit down beside her, she looks at me with a mix of surprise and curiosity. I can tell she’s not used to seeing me like this—choosing to relax instead of burying myself in work. I’ve spent so long building walls between us, prioritising my duties over her, and it’s time to change that. She should come first, always.Without a word, I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer, feeling her warmth against me. My fingers trace gentle pattern
Celine POVI’m still pressed against Sebastian when the door creaks open, and Dolton steps in quietly.“The Fae's Royal Guard is here,” he whispers, his eyes darting to the door he’s just closed. The carefree Sebastian vanishes in an instant, replaced by the commanding presence of the King. Without hesitation, we moved to get dressed.“Did they say why?” Sebastian asks, his voice low and controlled.“For Celine,” Dolton replies, his voice barely above a whisper. “Queen Nymia has requested that she join her for supper and a discussion.” He glances at me with concern. Once we’re dressed, Sebastian opens the door, and the guards step inside, their expressions unreadable.“Queen Nymia has requested that Celine join her for supper,” one of the guards repeats, his tone formal.Sebastian forces a smile, though I can feel the tension radiating from him. “That’s fine. We’ll prepare and join you shortly.”“Alone,” the guard clarifies, his gaze steady.Sebastian’s expression hardens, and his hea
Celine POV16th BirthdayMy mother drags me, and I try to keep up but fail."Mum!" I cry and try to pull free."Hurry up, Celine!" She growls, and her hand shifts into a paw."I don't have a wolf!" I cry and try to be quicker and keep up, but I fail and fall. She growls and drags me up from the floor. I'm not sure why she hates me right now. She knows I have no wolf, so moving as quickly as her is impossible.We reach the door, and it opens. The man peers at me momentarily before pulling my mother into a hug."I missed you," he whispers and kisses her. "Come in. We will introduce her to the boys," he says before stepping back and giving us space to enter. My mother drags me forward, and I almost fall, using my hand to steady myself."Celine, I'm Richard." The man shakes my hand, and I get flashes of images of him and my mother together in bed. I try to pull away, disturbed by what he is thinking."Hi," I whisper, finally freeing my hand from his grip."These are my sons. Wes, Dolton,
Celine POV21 YEARS oldI'm tired. For the past week, the brothers have barely left me alone. My body is exhausted. When I came here, I was with my mother, but she died.Richard kept me, however, so I've stayed as their slave. The brothers and my mates...I don't know how to feel about that. On my eighteenth birthday, they each used my body. It became a recurring thing.Sometimes, only one of them would come in at night, and other times, all three would use me together. I'm their mate, yet I have no power here.The only benefit to being their mate is when others try to touch me. They refuse to allow it to happen. They never told others I was their mate but ensured people knew I was theirs and only theirs in that way.I wonder how bad things would have been if I wasn't their mate. Their father didn't care when men would feel me up and try to drag me into rooms to use me. It was always the brothers.So I know if I weren't their mate, I would have been used by everyone.The sound of the d
Celine POVDolton stays close to me. My hands stay wrapped around his neck as I peer up at him. I want to tell him I will see him and work out a way to see him every day, but it isn't possible. He knows that, and from what his brothers have said, there's no way we can be together.His fingers thread through my hair, pulling my head back so he can reach my neck. His lips move across it, and I feel someone behind me. Their hands pull quickly against the fabric of my dress, ripping it from my body and falling to the floor.I feel like crying. I got into that routine of fighting them and refusing them. Now, though, I wish I could go back and fully embrace every moment with them, as I'm not sure if I'll have any other moments like this in the future.As his mouth reaches my collarbone, I whimper slightly, feeling Wes behind me. His hand grips the back of my neck, and I find myself pinned between him and Dolton.Every touch seems to be more intense, and it's like my body knows that after to
Celine POVMy body is tired, and I'm in Dolton's arms. He holds me against him. His fingers stroke along my spine. I'm too tired to move, to talk or anything.I would be asleep, but their whispered voices kept me awake just enough. They seem to be arguing over whether they can keep me here."Father may agree," Dolton says. His voice is full of hurt, and I want to tell him I'll be fine. I want to say to him that I'm getting my life back. He may not see me again, but I'll have a life and always remember him."Father will not agree. Remember why she was sent here? Remember why she is different? Do you think Father will agree?" Alex argues with him. I'm glad their father won't agree to keep me here. I want to be free. It wasn't until I came here that I learned my mother had hidden me. We moved often, and she would keep me locked in houses or similar.I never had a life, I never had freedom; she told me that the thoughts I had and the images I saw made me a target. She warned me people wou